Nuggets game day: The one play Houston runs for “48 minutes”

The last time Nuggets faced the Houston Rockets, which was in late November, James Harden, Chris Paul and Co. carved Denver up like a Thanksgiving turkey. The Rockets scored 75 points in the first half and wound up shooting 54.9 percent from the floor in a 125-95 win.

"Obviously, the last time we played them was one of our poorer showings of the year," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

It was apparent then that the Rockets had something special with their backcourt. Houston repeatedly ran pick and rolls featuring Harden or Paul and got easy looks all game out of the action. Entering Friday's rematch against the Rockets (6 p.m., Altitude), Malone said slowing Houston in the pick and roll is one of the keys to the game.